Resilience among Delhi-NCR First Line Responders and its Links with Secondary Traumatic Stress

Abstract

First Responders refer to individuals in those professions who are usually the first to arrive at a scene of disaster or accident or are the first to interact and communicate with the victims. Thus, they are more frequently exposed to potentially traumatic events than the general population, making them high-risk professionals for developing various mental and physical health ailments. This study aimed to understand the difference in 
resilience and secondary traumatic stress levels in different groups of first-line responders and found the relationship between the two variables. Data was collected using the Secondary Traumatic Stress Response 
Scale (STSS) and the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS). The sample consisted of 160 participants divided into four groups -Doctors (n=40), Nurses (n=40), Police Personnel (n=40), and Fire Fighters (n=40), residing and 
working in Delhi-NCR. Results were computed using SPSS software. Findings suggested a negative relationship (r = -.37) between resilience and secondary traumatic stress (STS) experienced by first responders, indicating resilience may be a protective factor against STS. Furthermore, results also indicated that Doctors and Nursed report lesser secondary traumatic stress than firefighters and police personnel. In contrast, Doctors reported higher resilience than all other groups. Several factors, such as the nature of their jobs and duration, intensity, and frequency of exposure to victims’ trauma, could account for these differences.